Reviews

Asus Eee PC T91 review

Introduction

When you think of compact laptops, Asus is one of the names that will spring to mind, having a track record of affordable, decent netbooks. Now they have increased their arsenal with the T91, their first touchscreen netbook/tablet. Weighing up all its features, can this unit be as popular as some of its older brothers and sisters?

The Asus Eee PC T91

What’s in the box?

• The Asus Eee PC T91
• Battery
• Charger & Cable
• Manual & Warranty Card
• Recovery CD/DVD

Take a look at Matt’s Asus T91 unboxing video for more.

Asus Eee Pc T91 Specification

• Operating System Genuine Windows® XP Home
• Display 8.9" LED-backlit / Resistive Touch Panel
• CPU Intel® Atom Z520
• Chipset Intel® US15W
• LAN Onboard 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet controller
• Wireless Data Networking WLAN: 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth V2.1
• Memory 1GB (DDR2)
• Storage 16GB Solid State Drive + 16GB SD Card
• Interface 1 x VGA port (D-sub 15-pin for external monitor)
• 2 x USB 2.0 ports
• 1 x LAN RJ-45
• 2 x audio jacks: Headphone / Mic-in
• Camera 0.3 M Pixel
• Reader 3-in-1 MMC, SD, SDHC flash card slot
• Audio Hi-definition audio CODEC
• Built-in high quality stereo speakers
• Digital Array Mic
• Battery Life Li-Polymer battery, 5hrs**
• Dimensions 225mm (W) x 164mm (D) x 25.2 ~ 28.4mm (H)
• Weight 0.96kg

General

At a glance:-

Left side:

Memory expander, USB 2.0 and power socket

Right side:

Ethernet socket, USB 2.0, microphone and headphone socket, stylus compartment.

Front:

SD Memory card slot

Rear:

VGA connector

Display:

Power switch, Touch Gate button, built in array microphone and camera and power, battery, wireless and caps lock led.

Bottom:

Reset switch, memory compartment.

Highlights

• Solid build
• Flip screen which turns the netbook into a tablet PC
• 5 Hour battery lifeBuilt in microphone and webcam

Lowlights

• Touchscreen responsiveness (minor issue but had to balance out the pros and cons a bit more)
• No removable battery pack

Review

From a looks point of view, I really like the T91, with its piano black finish and glossy screen, it emits an air of quality and professionalism. Coupled with the included padded ‘purse’ they have made an effort to make this look like a machine with a much higher price tag. The padded bag just goes to show the thought that Asus put into their products, whether you use it or not, I think the addition of this makes a difference in a world where most accessories are usually extra.

When you switch it on, it loads at a decent speed into Windows XP Home edition. It was an emotional reunion with my old friend XP! By calibrating the stylus by touching 9 points on the screen, the stylus is easy to use and accurate. As well as the standard XP screen there are 2 other screens hidden away until needed. The main one being Touch Gate, a graphical user interface designed for use with the touchscreen. This brings up larger icons, allowing you to use the stylus to do things like surf the net, use it as a calculator or write memos to yourself. I think more people will stick to the standard XP interface but it is nice to have different options. A small point I noticed is that the button below the screen which either launches Touch Gate or rotates the screen, when in Touch Gate mode will only allow the screen to be flipped 180° as opposed to 90° in XP mode.

The memo function did allow me to see how responsive the touchscreen was; I found it a little on the slow side but nothing that was a major issue. I think left handed people would find it easier as (correct me if I am wrong) they tend to write with their hand above the pen whereas right handed people right with their hand below. This made a difference on the touchscreen for me, as I kept resting my palm on the screen which overrided the contact with the stylus and jumped it to my palm. Again, with a little bit of practice (and less laziness) I think this would be easy to overcome. You can see an example of the memo pad in the screenshot. I would like to reiterate that I needed a bit more practice with the unit, which is my reason for having such atrocious handwriting.

The 1.33ghz Atom processor is more than capable of performing basic tasks which you would expect from a netbook, combined with 1gb of memory and a 16GB solid state drive with the ability to increase this capacity via SDHC slots, the whole package is really appealing. Asus do state that an additional 20GB storage facility is available online on their EEE internet storage site but I think that with current ISP upload speeds it might not be a strong selling point, but would be a good place for storing small, important files, as opposed to large photo albums. The lack of CD-ROM drive is both appreciated, due to size constraints, but also not a major issue with external ones available cheaply. This also applies to external hard drives, if you do find yourself filling up the internal drive quickly. I neat design idea was to put a USB 2.0 port on either side of the unit instead of bunching them up on the same side.

Like Matt, I too am a fan of the glossy touchscreen. Not only does it add to the streamlined, state of the art look but it also detracts people from using their fingers as a stylus, which has a lovely weighty feel to it. Outdoor use might get harder with the reflections and brightness but I think that if this did pose a problem to someone, there are options which could overcome this. The screen swivels into place with a solid, robust action and is able to be rotated by 90°, perfect when used in tablet form. Not the brightest of screens, but still easy to see and probably contributes towards the battery life. Asus have also added a built in camera and microphone which is another nice addition especially considering one of the main usages of this would be web related.

Conclusion

As an affordable touchscreen netbook I found the Asus T91 to be very good, I can see these being popular, especially in certain industries, i.e. for drawing floorplans, auditing, stock taking, or even for day to day internet surfing with the added benefit of being able to replace some of the basic laptops available. The keyboard is compact but usable, and the 5 hour battery life is sufficient for a machine of this calibre, but would have been nice to be able to remove the battery and replace it when out on long journeys, but this is a minor issue as most people can get to a power source quite easily nowadays.

In summary, I can’t fault this netbook. It has all the requirements for day to day internet use, as well as some nice features which move it beyond basic surfing. I think this is a nice looking, affordable unit which can be proud to wear the Asus Eee PC badge.

Review by: Gary

Sony Ericsson W205 review

The W205 from Sony Ericsson is a Walkman phone with all the features you would expect from the great brand of Sony Ericsson but can almost be described a trimmed down version and before you go thinking this a bad thing when I say trimmed down I also include the price in that statement.

The Sony Ericsson W205

What’s in the box?

Actually, not a lot! The box is not only tiny but also mostly empty.

• The W205 Handset
• Battery
• Mains Charger
• Manual and Warranty Card

Check out Matt’s Sony Ericsson W205 unboxing video for a closer look at the handset.

Sony Ericsson W205 specification:

• Network: GSM / GPRS 900/1800
• Display: TFT, 1,8-inch, the resolution of 128×260 pixels, 65 thousand colors
• Camera: 1.3 MP, 2.2-fold digital zoom, video recording
• Memory: built-5Mb, slot for memory cards Memory Stick Micro (M2) up to 2 GB
• Communications: Bluetooth, USB
• Audio: supported formats MP3/AAC, player Walkman, FM-radio with RDS, stereo headset
• Battery life: during a call up to 9 hours, standby up to 425 hours of music listening mode: up to 13.5 hours
• Dimensions: 92x47x16, 4 mm
• Weight: 96 g

General

Looks wise the W205 is not a bad looking device with all the standard Walkman styling seen on many other devices in the Sony Ericsson range. Build quality does leave a little to be desired the W205 does give away its low price tag in this respect, the slider feels very flimsy and the phone itself is very light and has a distinct plastic feel to it.

The front of the device has allot going for a modern day mobile phone but not so much for the Walkman series. The standard Walkman control circle is present for quick and easy playback controls which also doubles as menu navigation. To the right of this are a menu quick launch button, call control and cancel. On the left is a further quick launch button along with call control and a shortcut key. When open the W205 reveals a standard numeric keypad with a rubberised feel.

Sony Ericsson W205 front view

The left side of the device houses that large Sony Ericsson propitiatory connector and a two way volume rocker which as with other Sony Ericsson devices can also be used to check the status of things such as battery life and general information about the phone.

Sony Ericsson W205 left side

The right of the device is very bare indeed and located on this side the W205 is a solitary M2 memory card input which is housed under the plastic cover towards the top of the mobile phone.

Sony Ericsson W205 right side

The back of W205 has a matt black throughout and as well as this the 1.3 megapixel camera which is well places at the top of the device.

Sony Ericsson W205 back view

Highlights and Lowlights
+ Low Price
+ Battery Life
– Poor Camera Quality
– Limited Memory Support

Review

The W205 from Sony Ericsson further increases the already staggeringly large mobile phone collection other wise and more affectionately referred to as the Walkman range.

Style wise the W205 is what I would refer to as practical and functional, it is certainly not award winning but is not a phone you will be desperate to keep hidden away under the table the whole time. As I mentioned earlier the build quality does give the phones low value away somewhat, the slider feels very strange in that it is not spring loaded as with many others and often you will find yourself having to manually slide it as often it only moves a small amount at a time which sounds like a very strange and obscure criticism but it is something which you will certainly notice when using the phone. The keypad has a rubber feel to it and although the keys are not technically individual they are fairly sized and should not cause a problem even for the biggest of hands.

The navigational menu is the standard Sony Ericsson menu which will be familiar to all of you with previous experience with Sony Ericsson devices or indeed anyone who has read a previous Sony Ericsson mobile review. Navigation is done using the four way playback control control which is simple enough however given the small screen size space is certainly at a premium when browsing a list such as contacts or music.

The W205 is capable of basic web browsing however with no 3G connectivity and given the screen size it can become more of a challenge and seems more trouble than it’s worth.

The W205 despite its price does have the capability to be as good as its more expensive and greater featured older cousins however it just feels like at certain points it is being held back. One of the most important factors when it comes to a modern MP3 player is storage, and more importantly large storage. And this is the first sticking point for the W205 it does support additional memory support via M2 memory card however only supports up to 2GB of memory which by today’s standards is below par and especially for those MP3 and music enthusiasts. That said as given the price the W205 is likely to be targeted at the less die hard music fan and more for those looking for a cheaper option than a dedicated high spec MP3 player while combining it with a fairly well featured Sony Ericsson mobile phone.

The device does come shipped with a set of standard Sony Ericsson in ear headphones which are not always ideal however also included is the adapter required for you to use any headphones with 3.5mm head phone jack, connection to the W205 through the head phone adapter is done via Sony Ericsson’s unnecessarily large and somewhat clumsy and poorly place propitiatory connector. The phones in built speakers are not great quality but this is something that does improve considerably when using the W205 with headphones. Navigating your way through the W205’s music menus is similar to that on other Walkman devices, if unfamiliar with these is basically involves scrolling through your tracks by either artist, song, titles etc. Although navigation is not what you would describe as difficult it is not perfect and could I feel be slightly improved to make it a little more user friendly.

The W205 features an FM radio and the ever helpful track ID is also present.

Camera wise the W205 did disappoint me somewhat, there is no forward facing camera meaning no video calls and the main camera is the now rare sight of a 1.3 Megapixel camera which is not the best quality I have seen even at this resolution, not helped by the W205’s small screen and disappointing resolution. The Camera does come with a few features such as night mode, scene mode and a few effects however none really bring the W205 up to speed with other mobiles of a similar price on the market today and with no flash or focus of any kind the camera becomes more of an after thought from Sony as appose to a feature at the forefront of their thinking. The W205 is also capable of taking short video clips which performs better than I expected given the phones problems with still images. Playback of either photos or video on the W205 is not what I would describe as a pleasure and dare I say for fear of sounding like a broken record this is due mainly to the devices small screen.

In terms of features the W205 doesn’t do badly given its low price, the phone has bluetooth connectivity allowing for quick and easy transfer of files and also offers the the generic organiser type functions including the basic calculator, notes and calender however besides this the W205 does lack the more current features many have come to expect from a modern day mobile phone but this is something that can be forgiven of a device with a low price tag.
Practicality wise the W205 is Size: 92 x 47 x 16.4 mm and weights 96 grams, battery life is quoted at a talk time of up to 9 hours and around 425 hours standby, for music playback the W205 can be expected to last approximately 13 and ½ hours which given its small size I found somewhat impressive.

Conclusion

Overall the W205 came as a bit of a reappointment, it just seems like Sony Ericsson have held back and yes of course price will have paid a big part in this however I fell that they should have equipped it with fully functioning features rather than going for volume and letting quality fall short. That said I do commend Sony Ericsson on their attempts in cutting down packaging and presenting the W205 in a stylish and modern way. While not a bad phone the W205 does leave a bit to be desired but for the average user who has little need for more high end connectivity etc. the W205 with its low cost should be ideal.

Review by: Nick

Sony Ericsson S312 review

The S312 is another in Sony Ericsson’s low priced low end devices and so often it is natural to instantly assume that low price = low quality and with these devices Sony Ericsson are desperately trying to change this perception and portray the fact that a mobile can be well featured and stylish and can still be sold at a budget price.

The Sony Ericsson S312

What’s in the box?

Actually, not a lot! The box is not only tiny but also mostly empty.

• The S312 Handset
• Battery
• Mains Charger
• Manual and Warranty Card

Check out Matt’s Sony Ericsson S312 unboxing video for a closer look at the handset.

Sony Ericsson S312 specification:

• Dimensions: 100 x 46 x 12.5mm
• Weight: 80.1g
• Battery:  Talk Time: 8 hrs / Standby Time: 400 hrs
• Display: 176 x 220 pixels/2 inch
• Network: Quad-Band
• Camera: 2 mega-pixels
• Video: Video Recording (QVGA)
• Music: Supported formats: MP3, AAC, eAAC+ & WMA
• Messaging: SMS / MMS (with video)
• Memory: 15MB (internal) / M2 (external)
• Bluetooth (2.0)

General
The S312 in my opinion is a very attractive looking device and certainly considering its price. It has weight to it yet remains light enough so as to not pull on the pocket of your trousers and despite its plastic casing it does not feel low quality in terms of build and is a true representation of how looks can be very much deceiving.

The front of the S312 is home to one of the shiniest screens when switched off and could easily double as a mirror. The front of the device does look a little crowded and although this is the case to a certain extent it does feel that every button has its place and that no space has been wasted. At the top of the device below the screen in a multi directional menu navigation button with a selection push in the centre either side of this are call control and quick launch buttons as well as the cancel key to the right and the shortcut launch away to the left. Below this is a rather small numeric keypad with 4 strips of keys.

Sony Ericsson S312 Front View

The left of the S312 is home only to the Sony Ericsson propitiatory connector which given its size does make this side of the device feel slightly more used than it actually is.

Sony Ericsson S312 left side

The right has more to offer from left to right as seen above a dedicated shutter button sits next to a quick launch playback control and to the top of the device in the 2 way rocker used for volume and zoom.

Sony Ericsson S312 right side

The back of the S312 is a familiar site for any Sony Ericsson users featuring the usual Sony Ericsson branding and the 2.0 megapixel camera with a single LED flash.

Sony Ericsson S312 back view

Highlights and Lowlights
+ Low Price
+ Ease of use
– No 3G
– Small Keypad

Review

On first impressions the Sony Ericsson S312 is certainly an attractive phone and combined with its low price tag it fast becomes a very attractive mobile phone. One that offers stylish looks and all round functionality and features.

The phone feels small in the hand and although it has a distinct plastic feel to it doesn’t feel cheap or poorly made, I think this is largely due to the silver finish. It would be extremely difficult to own this phone without becoming extremely vein for no other reason than the Screen doubles for a very clear mirror which fortunately does lose its shine somewhat when the screen is active which is a relief for me as I just could not take staring at myself every time I wanted to send a text or browse the web. This aside the phone does have a very classy style to it which I can tell is continued throughout the device both in style terms and in terms of functionality. One problem I did have however was with the keypad, the keys are in four rows and are not individual keys or apart in any way and I did at times find myself accidentally pressing multiple keys at once and I don’t have the biggest of hands so for others with larger fingers may struggle with the S312’s smaller keypad.

Sony Ericsson S312 Keypad

Although the navigation on the S312 is identical to many Sony Ericsson phones currently on the market with the simple browsing of user friendly icons to access the phones key features the S312 does manage to achieve this fairly mundane task with a certain flair and smoothness which I have found to be absent on a number of Sony Ericsson devices I have spent time with recently. The menus are nicely animated and offer an interesting change to the standard static icons and although only a small change it is a welcome one.

The S312 includes a 2MP camera which I found to be of fair quality and seems about in line with models of a similar price it also features a camera light which although helps a little in low light situations it is certainly no substitute for an LED or Xenon flash. The screen is not a fantastic size but given the quality it does allow for fairly enjoyable playback of photos and videos without the need to transfer them to a PC. File Manager is present on the S312 which is something that has been missing in action on other cheaper Sony Ericsson devices and although not a major addition it does reduce the need for launching an individual feature in order to playback videos, music, photos etc.

The Device is also home to a music player which although is more complicated to use than the layout on walkman phones it is not what I would describe as difficult. Headphones are not included in the reduced size packaging which means these and the Sony Ericsson headphone adapter would have to be purchased elsewhere. Playback though the S312 itself is surprisingly impressive for a phone which is not designed specifically for music, sound is crisp and clear and offers real clarity. An FM radio is also present but with no headset or hands free kit provided this is something that will only be able to take advantage of if you purchase this separately but you should have enough change from the S312 to be able to do so. Track ID is also on the S312 and something I found interesting was the fact that the S312 has support for up to 4GB via M2 which is incidentally more than the budget Walkman phones from Sony Ericsson.

Connectivity is limited out of the box as no USB cable is provided meaning another separate purchase. There is no forward facing camera which again take video calls off the agenda. No 3G makes internet browsing a drawn out affair and although not painfully slow I often ended up giving up as it just did not compare to a 3G device. The S312 does have Bluetooth however and this is of course a welcome addition as it allows for easy transfer of data from one phone to another or between your device and computer.

The organiser features are all accounted for however they are still basic in terms of a modern mobile phone but at the price of the S312 it wold be wrong of me to criticise this particular short fall. The Sony Ericsson S312 is 100 x 46 x 12.5 mm and weighs just 80.1g, battery life is quoted at up to 8 hours talk time and around 400 hours stand by which are impressive figures for a device as light weight as this.

Conclusion

Overall the Sony Ericsson S312 is a solid mobile phone which I really enjoyed using which surprised me as it did not come with the down fall of many low priced mobiles I have used in the past, instead it offers an attractive phone features and functionality wise and packages it albeit in a tiny box with this great sleek styling with its mirrored finish and brushed silver effect.

This phone would be ideal as possibly a second phone for short trips etc. But I would say it wold easily fit in to someone’s full time life style and I would hate to see it wasted in the former mentioned fashion. A great phone at a great price a real triumph for Sony Ericsson in their low cost alternative mobile range.

Review by: Nick

Canon EOS 500D review

When you talk about digital cameras I think almost everyone will have heard of Canon. Launched earlier this years the EOS 500D joins Canon’s DSLR range at the lower end, one step above the 1000D.

The Canon EOS 500D body

I’m a big fan of Canon cameras and I’ve had several models over the years from the 300D up to the 50D I use now and pretty much everything in between. I know it’s simply a case of what you get used to but I simply prefer Canon over the other makes out there. Just my personal opinion but having a pretty decent selection of Canon lenses already is definitely a factor!

I managed to get my hands on the EOS 500D a few weeks ago and have been road testing it ever since. I’ve used it for taking photos of some of the products that we have in for review at the moment and I’ll post some sample shots further on in the review.

What’s in the box?

My review unit was part of a kit and came with the 18-55USM IS Lens. I’ve limited the review to the body itself though. In the main box you’ll find:

• The Canon EOS 500D camera body
• LP-E5 lithium-ion battery
• Battery charger
• Body cap
• Shoulder strap
• USB cable
• Video cable
• CD-ROMs featuring EOS Digital Solution software and documentation
• 227 page camera manual

Take a look at my earlier Canon EOS 500D unboxing video for more.

Canon EOS 500D Specification:

• 15.1Mp CMOS sensor
• Canon EF-S Lens Mount
• Crop Factor 1.6x
• 9 Point Auto Focus
• 3.4 fps burst mode (11 RAW and unlimited JPG)
• ISO 100-3200 (expandable to 12,800)
• 1/4000 – 30secs shutter speed
• Live View Mode
• 3.0" LCD 920k dot LCD Monitor
• HD Video shooting modes (1080p @ 20fps and 720p @ 30fps)
• SDHC Memory Cards
• Weight: 480g

These are just the headline features. A full run-down of the specification can be found on the Canon website.

General

Looking at the 500D for the first time it’s difficult to distinguish it from its predecessor, the 450D and its 1000D little brother. The controls and menus are immediately familiar.

The build of the 500D, although slightly better than the 1000D perhaps is largely plastic and, for me coming from the more expensive 50D, feels just a little too plastic and a little too light. The 50D is more reassuringly heavy due to its aluminium body. That said, don’t be put off, the 500D is definitely one of the better made DSLR’s in the price bracket.

So taking a look around the camera body:

The 500D is a fairly typical looking DSLR body. However it’s quite compact so if like me you have large hands you might find the grip a little small I can only wrap two middle fingers around the grip leaving my index finger to press the shutter release button and my little finger hanging rather awkwardly off the bottom.

The back panel is quite busy but dominated by the 3" LCD Screen which is a hi-res 920k dots affair. Around that you have the menu buttons, viewfinder, and a variety of other controls for navigating the menu and display and changing camera settings.

Canon EOS 500D back panel

On the top of the camera you’ll find the hotshoe for adding a flash as well as the built-in pop-up flash. Next to that is the mode dial which sets the main shooting settings from full-auto to full-manual. There’s also the on/off switch that’s easily in reach of your thumb and the all-important shutter release button.

Canon EOS 500D top view

Not much to see on the bottom of the camera but this is where the battery is inserted and a standard tripod 1/4" screw thread can be found.

Canon EOS 500D bottom view

The Mini-HDMI and USB/AV out connectors can be found on the left side of the body under a rubber cover. There’s also a socket to plug in an external shutter release here.

Canon EOS 500D left side

To the right there’s a door covering the SD memory card slot. This supports SD and SDHC memory cards.

Canon EOS 500D right side

Review

As I mentioned already, the 500D looks very much like the 450D the it replaced and many will ask whether the 500D is worth the upgrade. The things that set the 500D apart are the 15.1MP CMOS sensor (which is the same as on the 50D), the DIGIC4 processor and probably most notably the ability to shoot HD Video footage.

HD Video shooting from a DSRL is a relatively new thing and at the moment only the 500D and its bigger brother the 5D mkII are capable of this. Other manufactures have have models capable of it and this certainly seems like a trend that is set to continue. As I record a lot of video this is one feature that I was keen to try. I’ll come to that in a moment.

The 500D has a decent ISO range from 100-3200 ISO, up from the 450D’s limit of just 1600. There’s also a H2 setting that has an ISO equivalent of 12,800. As you can imagine though, going that high does result in some pretty noisy looking images. If you look at the image below you’ll see what I mean. On the left we have a 100% crop of a child’s toy at 100 ISO and on the left the same toy at 12,800 ISO.

100 ISO left and 12,800 ISO right

The other thing I noticed about the 500D right away is how much quieter the shutter release was than the 450D. This is perhaps important for wildlife photography of if you are using the camera to take pictures whilst in a crowd as you are less likely to disturb those around you.

The LCD screen on the rear is the same size as the 450D, a generous 3" but the resolution has been drastically increased to 920,000 dots. The difference here is amazing a makes image preview/review much more practical and gives a better representation of the captured image.

As with other Canon cameras at within the price range the sensor isn’t full frame with a 1.6x crop factor. This means that the focal length written on your lenses must be multiplied by 1.6 so the supplied 18-55mm lens becomes a 28.8-88mm looking at a 35mm equivalent. This is still plenty wide enough for most applications and can be beneficial in some respects as you get a little more ‘reach’ at the long end of the lens. The 500D is compatible with all EF and EF-S lenses – and there are 100’s to choose from!

Canon have added a new Integrated Cleaning System to this model. What this does is that every time you turn the camera on or off the sensor is ultrasonicaly shaken to try to dislodge any dust or debris that may have found its way inside.

So we come to the main thing that I wanted to test, the HD Video recording. As a mentioned earlier. I record a lot of video footage whether it’s unboxing videos for the website or videos of my daughter I’m very often behind the camera. For a long time video cameras have been able to take still shots but even the best HD camcorders produce, at best, average looking still photos. So when DSLR cameras started to feature the ability to record HD video footage this sounded like the way to go.

Typically SLR lenses are much larger and, perhaps, higher quality than those you would find on even the best consumer camcorders. I suppose this is highlighted by the fact that SLR camera lenses, even the cheaper ones, cost more than a camcorder. DSLR’s also have pretty large CMOS sensors so I thought that the results of this technological marriage would be impressive.

Although the 500D boasts the ability to record both 1080p and 720p HD footage you are 1080p recording is limited to just 20fps which is somewhat lower than the normal 30fps. However 720p footage can be recorded at 30fps. For the majority of work that I do 720p is more than adequate anyway.

It was my plan to record a few unboxing videos with the 500D to see how they compared to the Sanyo Xacti HD1000 that I use at the moment. This is where I became a little disappointed with this camera. Let me explain.

When you set the camera to video shooting mode you are instructed to obtain a focus lock before you begin recording. Not really a big problem in itself as this simply means holding down the focus button for a few seconds. The issue is, once you start recording video the camera doesn’t auto focus again on its own. If something moves in or out of focus or you want to focus on a different subject while recording you have to then press the focus button again. This may not seem like a big problem but when you press the focus button the lens goes kinda crazy for a few seconds while it hunts for a new focus, all of which is recorded. If the subject then moves again you have to press the focus button again. You can’t simply keep your finger on the focus button. This is quite annoying and means that for me the camera isn’t suitable for video recording where much of what I record moves back a forward almost continuously. A real shame considering how good the recorded video is otherwise.

The other down side to video recording is that there’s no socket for an external mic. There is of course a built-in mic but it’s not perfect by any means, it only faces forwards and is to one side of the lens where I seemed to keep putting my fingers!

Check out the sample HD video below.

The Live View system on the 500D is excellent. It features three modes; AF Quick which uses the 9 AF points, AF Live, which uses contract detection, and AF Face Detect which also uses contrast detection but can also recognise faces.  AF Live is probably the one that you’ll find yourself using most as the AF Quick interrupts the live display while it seeks the focus.

In sequential shooting mode the 500D can snap at a healthy 3.4 fps and can grab 11 consecutive frames is shooting RAW or unlimited frames if shooting JPG. This is a pretty reasonably shooting rate and is roughly half that of the 50D due to the 500D having 2 DIGIC4 channels against the 50D’s 4.

I don’t know why Canon have opted for SDHC memory cards over Compact Flash on their newer EOS cameras. Perhaps this is a cost-saving exercise but for someone that has a nice selection of CF cards it’s a little annoying to have to splash out on new memory cards. Something to consider perhaps if you make the move from another Canon DSLR to the 500D.

Sample Images

The images below are direct from the camera with no editing, just resized for upload. Camera was set to full auto for the sample shots.

100% centre crop

You can download a sample HD video using this link. In this video I explain and demonstrate the auto focus limitations when recording video.

Conclusion

The Canon EOS 500D is an extremely capable digital SLR camera. It has some impressive features that suit both new photographers and more seasoned prosumers alike.

Picture quality is hard to fault. There are certain thing ‘missing’ in my opinion. Remote flash trigger socket is just one.

If you have the 450D and are considering the upgrade I’d question whether or not it’s worth it. If you are looking for HD video then buy an HD camcorder instead!

For the price I would personally opt for the 50D which is now not much more expensive. The 50D has better build quality and is that big larger, plus it has a better frame rate and better AF. If you are just starting out then you may wish to consider the 450D which can still be purchased. The only compelling reason to purchase the 500D is for the HD video, however, for reasons I’ve already mentioned I don’t think that the HD video is enough to tip the scales in favour of the 500D. Buy the 50D!

Review by: Matt

NDrive Windows Mobile SatNav review

Quite some time ago Matt was up to his old tricks and threw away a question, ‘Want to test some new software that’s not even out yet?’ Me being me…….here’s the review.

NDrive are a Portuguese company that was founded in 2001 dedicated to the GIS and Mobility markets and developed the NDrive brand and software from 2005.

The software in question is the NDrive satellite navigation for mobile phones. Here’s the blurb..

‘NDrive is a personal navigation solution. NDrive provides an advanced navigation experience, with clear and precise turn-by-turn spoken and visual instructions, including street and place names for door-to-door navigation with detailed local information, tailored for business or entertainment use, in a language of your choice. NDrive provides highly-accurate and detailed digital maps of countries all over the world, with a simple yet powerful user interface, ideal for inexperienced users.’

Key features

• • Zero installation: just plug in, switch on & GO
  • Latest and most complete maps: on DVD or Memory Card, providing a door-to-door navigation in more than 80 countries.
  • Very simple interface: touch-screen operation with gestures recognition, developed for the inexperienced users
  • Navigation to any address or point of interest: in any country or region with clear and accurate turn-by-turn voice instructions
  • Fast, complete and easy to search contents: powerful database at your fingertip
  • Dynamic data support: real-time weather reports and forecasts and cultural events (require country local provider)
  • Phone support: directly call a POI, access dynamic navigation information on the go (requires GSM)
  • Multimedia: play audio, video and view photos (on selected devices)
  • Multilanguage support (24 languages): written on screen and voice commands
  • Advanced features: Make your own personal information, export and import it from other formats
  • On both map mode and routing mode you can pan, zoom, rotate and change perspective angle at an amazing speed.
  • Depending on processor’s speed NDrive can draw a new map from 6 to 10 times every second, bringing the fastest video like navigation experience in the market.
  • See smooth map design through a superior proprietary anti-aliasing technology, transparencies, moving icons and different map templates to choose from.
  • Most representative buildings rendered in 3D

Review

Supplied on an SD card the software was an absolute doddle to load and initialise. Out of the box it has been easy to use and great features like large buttons, really quick UI etc. Make it very useable on a day to day basis.

In my laziness, and to save having to transfer the software on to my HTC diamond (which hasn’t got a card slot) I loaded the NDrive on to my trusty old Asus P526, bearing in my this is a 200 MHz processor, the NDrive faired really well. It was quick and responsive, with the addition of QuickGPS, the satellite lock was fast and the for once no lag between the map route and the real drive. You appear exactly where you currently are on the map.

The directions are very clear and loud, the addition of speed safety cameras and POI’s which you are able to update online, again are easy to use and clear.

There are loads of options at the touch of a button, a few can be seen here..

For those of you Tomtom users you will be familiar with the ‘just have a play’ mentality and this is very similar, every time you pick it up you find something else it can do.

It is also completely finger friendly, with most screens being single touch and easy to scroll for different options. Even things like adding ‘Home’, ‘Favourite’, ‘Itineraries’ and ‘Email co-ordinates’ are all one touch. This makes it an alternative to MapPoint with very good user interfacing. No one wants to fumble on a GPS while driving…

Navigation is no hassle and appears accurate, there are options full 6 character Post code searches, POI, co-ordinates, or just simple City centre or street centre searches. The route calculation is really quick, and during playback of the route, it is definitely a more video type experience even on the old Asus.

Points of interest information may carry descriptive and photographic information depending on country availability for better user understanding of the location. They can also have phone, email, website that can interact with your phone navigation device, for immediate action. Drill into the POI’s and there is another world of information, as seen.. in this case search ‘London’ and then ‘Tourist attractions’.

Once again, all one touch and very quick.

Conclusion

This software is very capable, quick and easy to use, at a cost in the region of 80 – 100 euro, I do wonder if entering this extremely fierce and competitive market is a wise move, to live in this world you need to be good.

The NDrive does prove itself to be reliable and fully feature packed as well as being competitively priced. I had no issues with using it over an extended period; it appears stable and overall very user friendly. Available to suit most users it is installable on Symbian, WM 5 and 6 as well as being able to buy standalone units for around 125 – 155 euro.

I wonder what else it can do that I have missed. Most of the info was taken from their website, so head over and take a look, if you are fed up with the usual Sat Nav suspects, this may well make a change and offer a viable alternative.

Review by: Steve

LG GD900 Crystal review

A phone with a transparent keypad, surely not. But yes that’s the major selling point behind LG’s latest creation, the LG GD900 Crystal. The question is though, is it any good or just a selling gimmick?

The LG GD900 Crystal

The ten second review:

Device: LG GD900 Crystal

Price: £339.99

Summary: A fun packed feature phone with a crazy transparent keypad.

Best of: HSDPA, WiFi, Easy to use.

Worst of: Keypad/Touchpad, No GPS.

What’s in the box?

• Handset
• Battery
• Charger
• USB Cable
• Pouch
• Software
• Software Install Instructions

Have a look at Matt’s LG Crystal unboxing video for more details.

LG GD900 Crystal Specification:

• Networks: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 HSDPA 850 /2100 HSDPA 900 /2100
• Dimensions: 105 x 52.5 x 13.5mm   Weight 127 g
• Display: 3 inch TFT capacitive touch screen 16M colours
• Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels
• Device Input: Touch screen & Transparent Keypad
• Internal Memory: 1.5GB storage (Expandable to 32GB with microSD card slot)
• Connectivity: GPRS, EDGE, HSCSD, 3G HSDPA 7.2Mbps, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, USB v2.0 microUSB
• Messaging: SMS, EMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
• Camera: 8MP 3264×2448 pixels
• Video Capture: D1 720×480@30fps QVGA@15fps QVGA time-lapse slow-mo video capture
• Video Playback: DivX/XviD Mpeg4 
• Audio: MP3 AAC AAC+ WMA
• Battery: Li-Ion 1000 mAh
  – Stand by Time: Up to 300 hours on 3G
  – Talk Time: Up to 240 mins 3G
• Misc: TV-out, Picsel Viewer for Word, Excel, Proximity sensor for auto turn-off, Handwriting recognition

General:

The design of the LG Crystal is rather nice. The phone feels fairly heavy in the hand, which I like, and sturdy. The slide out keypad is made from clear plastic and with it “closed” it covers most of the back of the device and gives it a quite unique feeling. Good or bad I’m not really sure but combined with the shiny metal around the edges of the handset it looks pretty nice.

The LG Crystal

The top of the phone contains only a power on/off switch.

LG Crystal Top View

The left hand side has only the USB socket.

LG Crystal left side

The right of the device houses an up/down volume rocker and a dedicated camera key.

LG Crystal right side

On the front of the handset is the send/end keys and cube menu button at the bottom and at the top is the speaker grill, front facing camera and a proximity sensor.

LG Crystal front view

The rear of the phone is flush when closed but when opened it reveals the lens for the 8MP camera and also the flash.

LG Crystal camera

Highlights & Lowlights:

+ HSDPA

+ WiFi

– No GPS

– No 3.5mm Headset Jack

Review:

Clearly the most obvious feature of the LG Crystal is the clear keypad and this is what will attract potential buyers to the device. This is basically another touch screen for the device with numbers etched onto the plastic. Unfortunately I am starting on a bad point as I found the keypad to be way too sensitive. Its so sensitive it cost me £1.50!

The first thing I wanted to test out on the device was the web browser. Now, when the browser opens a small mouse arrow appears on screen. This is controlled by the clear keypad much the same as a touchpad on a laptop. First thoughts were “this seems quite nice” but with seconds I had unintentionally clicked a link on my Orange home page and purchased a calling tone! This is something that has never happened before on any device and it’s clearly down to the fact that the slightest tap on the touchpad acts as a click/select option.

As you can imagine I wasn’t too impressed but it could have been worse. At least I bought Knight Rider and not the Teletubbies!!!

The keypad does however have a couple of cool features. When web browsing you can use pinch-to- zoom like on the iPhone and this works pretty well. The other feature is that you can use the keypad to set up gesture shortcuts.

The LG Crystal runs the S-Class UI that has also appeared on the LG Arena and Viewty devices. I recently reviewed the LG Arena and was fairly impressed with this new UI.

Like the other devices the Crystal has four home screens which can be accessed by a swipe action either on screen or using the keypad. These can be customised and therefore can contain your most used programs/contacts etc.

At the bottom of the screen are four on screen buttons. These are phone, contacts, messaging and a link into the main menu.

The main menu is fairly nice. It consists of four rows of icons that can be swiped left and right to view all the icons on the row. If the phone is turned into landscape mode the icons shrink to show all 32 icons on screen at once.

The screen on the Crystal is very responsive and using the screen was for me a nicer option than using the keypad/touchpad. The best test for this was messaging. Messaging was simple and with me not wanting to use the keypad I had a choice of a standard 12 key on screen keypad or when rotated a full QWERTY option.

Like a few other handsets out there the Crystal also supports handwriting recognition and like those other devices using it takes far too long and it’s not really an option for sending a quick text/email.

Disappointingly the camera and the video capture on the Crystal was not as good as I thought it was going to be. After reviewing the LG Arena a short while ago I presumed the camera on the Crystal would be as good if not better. I took several photos and videos in sunny daylight conditions and although they looked great on the device once on my computer they appeared a little bit grainy, even though I was using the highest settings. Shame.

Listening to music was good though. Using the speaker didn’t sound fantastic like on the Arena, but with the headphones connected it was rocking! The Crystal does not come with a 3.5mm headset jack but at least LG supply a converter with the device so you can use any headphones if the LG ones are not to your liking.

Connectivity is super on the Crystal. Web browsing is as quick as it can be with the options for either using HSDPA or WiFi. Of course Bluetooth is built in, but so is A2DP which will allow you to listen to your music using a Bluetooth headset if preferred.

The other let down for me was the lack of GPS. Google maps come pre-installed on the device but without GPS it will never be spot on.

Conclusion

Overall the LG Crystal does what is says on the box. I strongly believe that that anyone buying this device will soon get bored of the clear keypad/touchpad as in my opinion it’s a bit of a novelty.

If you are a fan of LG phones I would suggest purchasing the Arena or the Viewty and if you are open to other manufactures then go get a Samsung Jet. It does the same job as the Crystal only so much better.

Sorry LG, better luck next time.

Review by: James

Panasonic Lumix TZ6 Review

I reviewed the Lumix FX500 and I must say that I was impressed. Now I have the Lumix TZ6 from Panasonic’s ‘Super Zoom’ category to check out. Hopefully it will impress us as much as the other cameras in the Lumix range have.

The Panasonic Lumix TZ6

What’s in the box?

• Panasonic Lumix TZ6 camera
• Battery (3.6V 895mAh 3.3Wh Li-on)
• Mains charger
• USB cable (proprietary connection to camera)
• Composite AV cable (proprietary connection to camera)
• CD (software and drivers)
• Manual

For more information check out Matt’s Panasonic Lumix TZ6 Unboxing Video

Panasonic Lumix TZ6 specification:

• Zoom: 12x optical
• Resolution: 10Mp
• Sensor size: 1/2.5in
• Sensor type: CCD
• Max. image size: 3648×2736
• File type: JPEG
• Sensitivity: ISO80-1600 (ISO6400 in High Sensitivity mode)
• Media type: SD/SDHC, built-in
• Focus types: Normal, macro, continuous AF, Tracking AF, Quick AF
• Normal focusing: 50cm-infinity
• Close focusing: 3cm-200cm
• Metering types: Intelligent Multi, centre-weighted, spot
• Exposure compensation: +/- 2EV in 1/3 step increments
• Shutter speed: 8-1/2000sec (max. 60sec in Starry Night mode)
• Flash: Built-in, 0.6-5.3m (Wide at ISO Auto), 1.0-3.6m (Telephoto at ISO Auto)
• Monitor: 2.7in TFT LCD (230,000dot)
• Interface: USB 2.0
• Power: Li-Ion battery
• Size: 103.3×59.6×32.8mm
• Weight: 206g (excl. battery and card)

General:

FRONT – On the front of the camera is the flash, the lens and the AF lamp

Panasonic Lumix TZ6 – front view

TOP – from the left, the four holes is where the speaker is located and the next set of holes is where the microphone is. Next is the on/of switch. The the zoom slider can be seen next with the shutter button located in the middle of it. Lastly is the mode dial.

Panasonic Lumix TZ6 – top view

BOTTOM – The battery and SD card compartment can be seen in this picture. There is also a standard tripod hole.

Panasonic Lumix TZ6 – bottom view

CONNECTIONS – This side view shows the single proprietary connection. The wrist strap loop can also be seen here.

Panasonic Lumix TZ6 – connections view

BACK – The 2.7 inch screen is shown here. At the top left is the switch to change between record and playback modes. Below this are the navigation keys for the menu. When in record mode these also work as shortcut keys to the self timer, exposure compensation setting, flash settings and auto focus. At the bottom is the display button which changes the on screen display in both record and playback modes, and the last button is a quick menu button in record mode and a delete button in playback mode.

Panasonic Lumix TZ6 – back view

Highlights:

• High quality 10.1MP
• Video recording quality is good (and the zoom also works with this)
• Easy to use

Lowlights:

• Chunky build – not aesthetically pleasing as many other Lumix cameras
• Mode dial turns too easily

Review:

I was somewhat disappointed when I first saw the Panasonic Lumix TZ6 as it’s not one of Panasonic’s nicest looking Lumix cameras. I suppose I was expecting a more sleek and compact design as it is after all, a compact camera. But then, I had to remind myself that the TZ6 is part of the ‘Super Zoom’ category and not the ‘Stylish Compact’ category.

The Lumix TZ6 is available in this silver colour and also black.

The Panasonic Lumix TZ6

The camera switches on and is ready to take pictures pretty quickly. This is quite a good point as some cameras can take a while from being switched on to being ready to take a photo.

The iA mode which has been featured in the Lumix range makes the camera do all the fine tuning for you (ie. exposure, aperture, white balance, auto focus (AF) tracking, etc.) Definitely a great feature as it makes it such a simple point-and-shoot camera.

The LCD screen is clear and bright, and at 2.7 inches it’s a nice generous size to use as a view finder and for reviewing your photos on.

The normal mode (next to the iA mode on the dial) is a basic auto mode which will adjust some setting such as AF and exposure. You can also take photos with your own custom settings which means a bit more work has to be done in order to take the best picture. I generally don’t use manual settings on compact cameras as I find it too fiddly and time consuming as you have to go into menus in order to change all the settings. You’ll probably miss the shot you wanted or your friends will get fed up of standing there waiting for the picture to be taken if you’re using this mode!

It’s a 10.1 MP camera and the lens is great! It’s a Leica-branded lens with a 12X zoom. This is the equivalent of a 25mm-300mm range. For those who aren’t so familiar with different zoom lens sizes I took these photos to show illustrate how good this zoom lens is!

Wide angle (zoomed right out) – the blue outline in the picture shows the area I zoomed in on for the next picture.

Taken using 12x zoom. Pretty good zoom huh!

Of course, the two photos above are of distant subjects. Here is a macro shot to show you the detail that the TZ6 captures.

I’ve reduced the size of these photos to put onto tracyandmatt.co.uk so the quality has also been reduced. The original photos show off the Lumix TZ6’s high quality capability. The detail that it has captured is brilliant.

The video recording mode on the camera records at the following specifications:

[4:3]VGA: 640 x 480 pixels, 30fps (Motion JPEG) QVGA: 320 x 240 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG)

[16:9]WVGA: 848 x 480 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG)

The quality of video is pretty good. What’s even more impressive is that you can also use the zoom! The movement is steady when zooming in an out. The microphone which is located on the top of the camera seems to pick up sound quite well and the inbuilt speaker (again, on the top) means you can play back your videos on the camera. It doesn’t offer HD recording but is definitely a good lower end video recorder.

There was one thing that annoyed me about the camera. The mode dial seems too easy to turn. Sounds silly I know, but it didn’t seem to stay locked in place. You could touch it quite lightly and it would move. This became annoying if you put it down, or in your pocket. The next time you wanted to use the camera you couldn’t just switch it on quickly and take a picture. The dial would have made its way round to where there were no modes! Never mind.

Conclusion:

The Panasonic Lumix TZ6 is a brilliant Zoom camera. The picture quality is brilliant and it takes pretty good video footage too. Being able to use the zoom when recording video is a definite plus.

I thought at first that the camera was a bit bulky but I’ve changed my mind. It’s a camera with and amazing zoom. If it was a SLR camera the lens would be pretty big so Panasonic have done well to fit it all nicely into the TZ6.

Over all The Lumix TZ6 has impressed me.

Reviewed by: Emma

Toshiba TG01 review

The Toshiba TG01 is by far one of the largest mobiles I have seen in a long while and Toshiba will be hoping it can manage to live up to its large reputation in more ways than just its size.

The Toshiba TG01

What’s in the box?

• Toshiba TG01 – Black
• Battery
• USB Cable
• Headset

Check out Matt’s Toshiba TG01 unboxing video for more details.

Toshiba TG01 specification:

• Size:  70mm x129mm x 9.9mm
• Weight: 129g
• Display:  Wide-VGA (800 x 480), 4.1”
• Camera:  3.2 mega-pixel, autofocus
• Memory:  512MB ROM / 256MB RAM, micro SDHC slot up to 32GB
• Interface: Bluetooth v2.0, USB v2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Battery: 1,000mAh, Standby: up to 11 Days, Talktime: up to 5 hours (GSM)
• Band:  850/900/1800/1900 for GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• 2100 for UMTS/HSDPA (7.2Mbps)/HSUPA (2Mbps)
• Navigation:  Built-in GPS & A-GPS
• Video service: Windows Media Player, CoreCodec’s CorePlayer Mobile
• Browser:  Microsoft Internet Explorer Mobile
• Messaging:  SMS, MMS, E-mail, Microsoft Direct Push Technology, Windows Live Messenger
• Sound:  MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, WMA, WAV
• Video:  H.263, H.264, MPEG4, WMV
• Java:  MIDP 2.0
• Processor:  Qualcomm QSD8250 (1GHz) Snapdragon chipset
• OS:  Windows Mobile  6.1 Professional
• Others:  Toshiba Touch UI

General

As I mentioned the TG01 is an extremely large device however despite its height and width it is a very slim device which slips into the average jeans pocket with a surprising amount of ease. The phone doesn’t break in rules styling wise when it comes to touch screen devices with the screen taking the spotlight as it should with touch screen mobiles with limited physical keys keeping the phone relatively clutter free.

It would be hard for a mobile phone to house a 4.1” screen without it simply dominating the device and as you would expect the TG01 is no exception to this, the screen looks great with 3 simple brushed silver touch sensitive command completing the styling of the front of the device.

Toshiba TG01 front view

Given the slim nature of the TG01 the sides of the device are relatively free from buttons apart from those seen as ultimately necessary and somewhat obligatory by Toshiba, the left houses the standby button and the volume rocker.

Toshiba TG01 left side

The right continues the theme of simplicity again featuring just the one button, this being the dedicated camera shutter button and also home to the mini USB input for charging the phone and connecting headphones.

Toshiba TG01 right side

The Back of the device is fairly non de script apart from the obvious Toshiba branding the back features a 3.2 MP camera however I was disappointed the TG01 does not feature a flash of any description.

Toshiba TG01 back view

Both the top and the bottom of the handset are free of any buttons or controls.

Toshiba TG01 top and bottom views

Overall the phone cannot hide from its size but what Toshiba have done is manage to use this as an advantage, so instead of carrying around a comparatively large phone you are now carrying around a fantastic 4.1” video multi media device.

Highlights and Lowlights
+Large high Quality display
+Great Connectivity
– No auto focus or flash
– Unreliable accelerometer

Review
The first you are likely to think when you lay eyes on the TG01 from Toshiba is WOW look at the size of that mobile phone however what Toshiba will be hoping to be the second words out of your mouth are WOW look at the size of that screen! Despite its large size, as I mentioned earlier in the review the TG01 is not a hassle to carry around it slips nicely into the pocket and feels substantial in the hand. It is not quite rounded enough to really fit perfectly in the hand and it does feel a little on the chunky side when talking a call, however when resting the device in your hand for daily usage it feels more at home. The device comes with a considerably large price tag and for that you would expect some top quality craftsmanship however the TG01 does disappoint in this department. Yes it does feel sturdy and well built however the plastic back feels flimsy and fragile which is not something you would expect on a phone of this price, but overall it is a solid phone which feels light in comparison to its size and fairly well built.

As I am sure you are aware at this point that the TG01 uses the traditional windows mobile platform and as a result makes navigation a familiar task to anyone with previous experience with windows mobile devices. You have the choice of several main menus of which I found very well done and it made browsing between simple applications such as the organiser and messaging a joy. The TG01 is noted by Toshiba for its speed however on several occasions I discovered considerable amounts of lag between menus and also had the device crash on me on more than one occasion which I feel is more due to the windows mobile OS than the TG01 itself. Another time the slow reaction time was obvious is during screen rotation the built in accelerometer was often slow to react meaning menus would often switch to landscape without prompt and vise versa. But these occasions were more of an occasional problem rather than a continuous one and the word to describe them would be unpredictable and when it does behave it performs extremely well but I would have liked to see a little more consistency to this performance.

The Windows mobile platform has its advantages though, it comes jam packed with a shear delight of applications and features waiting at your finger tips familiar programs from the desktop market such as windows office mobile as well as windows media player and internet explorer. Along with these familiar programs there are of course some which may not instantly fill you with that great feeling of familiarity of which the majority are mobile operator specific for example orange maps which although may not be familiar certainly does not lack the ease of use as the bundles windows programs. The TH01 is much closer to a desktop experience of windows than I have discovered with other mobile platforms and this is I believe largely due to the size of the screen & clarity sharpness of colour.

It would seem wrong to ignore the elephant in the room on the TG01 and that is of course the 4.1” screen so does it deliver as promised and is bigger really better? Well in the case of the TG01 at least the answer is yes bigger is definitely better, Toshiba’s experience in the electronics market is clear to see from the effort they have made to give the user the most enjoyable video and media experience possible on a modern mobile platform. Watching videos in the TG01 is an absolute pleasure and the nifty video enhancement options Toshiba have managed really add that extra kick to the screens performance. Sound quality however does lack behind its visual brother and the two do not seem to meet with regards to expectation, it is not that there is anything wrong with the sound per say however when compared to clarity and visual joy gained from the screens performance the audio can often seem second rate often proving difficult to hear if any background noise was present however given that the majority of users are likely to use the device with headphones this problem seems less important and therefore has a much smaller impact on users enjoyment of multimedia functions.

Other multimedia features obviously include music and photo playback which provided headphone are used I have no complaints about as for photo viewing it is perfect for viewing high quality images however the TG01 is not itself capable of producing them, the camera is 3.2 megapixels which is certainly not bad however when you consider the price it seems like an after though from Toshiba rather than a selling point and combine this with the lack of auto focus and a flash and it does not make for fantastic quality which is why for photos at least I feel the 4.1” screen is wasted. The camera is simple to use with a dedicated shutter button however as I mentioned earlier the problems with lag return for the camera and more specifically shutter lag is very much a present part of the TG01’s performance. Another disappointment camera wise is very surprisingly the TG01 does not feature a forward facing camera for video calls which on a business orientated smart phone such as this is simply inexcusable. The TG01 can hold up to 16GB via microSD card however as with a number of recent devices the micro SD card is located below the battery meaning easy access becomes an ever inaccurate description of the process.

Internet browsing is a joy with the TG01 aided as with many other applications by the large screen with limited need for unnecessary scrolling and with 3G capabilities and the very highly regarded dragon snap chip set speed is certainly not an issue with mobile web browsing on the Toshiba and with WI-FI included browsing can be low cost simply adding to the enjoyment. All the organisational tools you have come to expect from a business like device are present with a comprehensive calendar and alarms system perfect for reminders of those important engagements. The TG01 features a fairly large QWERTY touch screen keypad which makes composing email and text massaging a breeze and despite the problems mentioned earlier the TG01 has a very responsive touch screen which as long as it is not suffering from LAG or frozen is simple to use.

The phone included a stylus but unlike other devices there is no space to house the stylus on the device and although it can be connected in a phone charm style it is a little inconvenient and if you find yourself without your trusty stylus you may struggle to use your finger as the screen becomes instantly less responsive. The phones sound quality problems does not seem to translate to using it as a phone and I experienced no muffling or drop in sound while taking a call. The battery is surprisingly small considering the size of the TG01 however battery power is not a massive problem quoted at 276 hours stand by and 5 hours talk time. I found myself confident in using the phone for moderate to heavy usage without constantly fretting that a trip to the plug was imminent.

Conclusion

Overall the TG01 from Toshiba is a solid offering however yet again falls short of the unbelievably high standard of the iPhone and it unfortunately will fall into the category of failed iPhone contender which is a shame because the TG01 does offer a number of great feature and applications which would give certain elements of the iPhone a real run for its money however the overall experience falls short and the phone does come with a high price tag and high expectations both of which I feel are slightly unjustified. The phones speed may not be such a problem is it did not come with the high expectations bought about the dragon snap chip set. That said I would recommend the TG01 to the young professional looking for an all round device with some great features without falling into the category of sheep which is becoming more and more the standard label for iPhone users, the TG01 is sure to draw lots of attention with its sleek design and large build but will do its up most to separate you from the pack.

Review by: Nick